However, term ancestor may be loosely applied to deceased individuals without a blood relationship or adoptive family relationship whom a practitioner wishes to honor. Tokens and images of these deceased may be set upon an ancestor altar along with other ancestors as a form of honoring these people.
Some practitioners maintain that while it is acceptable to honor the spirits of unrelated deceased people, the practitioner should not expect them to "work" for her/him the same way family ancestors would.
Devotion to the ancestorscopyright 2013 Myth WoodlingI honor all my ancestors I know and all my ancestors I do not know. I give thanks to my ancestors for my being here. I give thanks to the ancestors for all the generations before me. Among your stories, I have models to follow in the choices of life.
Help me to see the opportunities that fill my life everyday. Help me in my petitions and devotions. Obtain for me the deep understanding and appreciation of my present life.
Help me to see the beauty of the world in which I live. Let me not be deceived into forgetting the value of each moment of my life now. Be with me in things and activities, familiar and unfamiliar, that fill my life. Amen.